Identifier: playersplaysofla01strauoft (find matches)
Title: Players and plays of the last quarter century; an historical summary of causes and a critical review of conditions as existing in the American theatre at the close of the nineteenth century
Year: 1903 (1900s)
Authors: Strang, Lewis Clinton, 1869-1935
Subjects: Theater -- History Theater -- United States Acting and actors
Publisher: Boston, L.C. Page
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
re of uncivilisedbluntness, and of untempered brutality. Sym-pathy, sincerity, and especially impressive per-sonality were required to bring to light thefirst Forrest; adverse criticism, even if freefrom the taint of faultfinding, any opposi-tion, whether honest or the outcome of envy,brought quickly into violent being the secondForrest. Unfortunately for himself, and formany that had intimate relations with him,Forrest never learned the value of the softand conciliatory answer. Always he was therabid, unprincipled, irresponsible partisan. Hesuffered much, and the pitiable part was thathe suffered needlessly. Sensitive unto morbid-ness, proud, — the more so because consciousof his lack of early advantages in the way ofculture and education, — suspicious, ready tooffer an affront, yet quick to take offence,— yes, given to seeking for offence wherenone was intended, — such was Edwin For-rest, with all his triumphs, his fame, and hiswealth, a most pathetic figure. All his life he
Text Appearing After Image:
EDWIN FORREST Forrest and Charlotte Cushman 75 acted tragedies, but none was so appalling asthe bitter tragedy of selfishness which he lived. Two anecdotes of Forrests boyhood, — oneof a fault committed by him, the other of aninjustice suffered by him, — illustrate a traitof his character, which remained with him tillthe end, and to which were due many of hisdifficulties in after life, including the disgrace-ful squabble with Macready. This was anunchecked desire to pay back, no matter atwhat cost, the inflicter of what he considereda wrong. Nor was Forrest ever careful toascertain whether there actually had been anywrong. An imaginary insult was exactly thesame to him as a real insult. He required hisrevenge in the one instance just as much as inthe other. One day, on a Philadelphia street, the ladEdwin Forrest was amusing himself by hold-ing an apple under a horses nose. Every timethe horse made a reach for the apple, the boywould strike the horse with his fist. Thedriver finall

Note About Images